This invention relates to a gaming machine. More particularly, the invention relates to a gaming machine and to an improved feature of such a gaming machine.
Players who regularly play gaming machines quickly tire of particular games and therefore it is necessary for manufacturers of these machines to develop innovative game features which add interest to the games. In so doing, it is hoped to keep players amused and therefore willing to continue playing the game as well as to attract new players.
Also, with the growth that has occurred in the gaming machine market, there is intense competition between manufacturers to supply various existing and new venues. When selecting a supplier of gaming machines, the operator of a venue will often play close attention to the popularity of various games with their patrons. Therefore, gaming machine manufacturers are keen to devise games which are popular with the players as a mechanism for improving sales, retaining customers and attracting new customers.
According to the invention, there is provided a gaming machine having a display means and a game control means arranged to control images displayed on the display means, the game control means being arranged to play a game wherein one or more random events are caused to be displayed on the display means and, if a redefined winning event results, the machine awards a prize, the gaming machine being characterized in that it includes a feature of a changing representation of the awarding of the prize and a player-operable control device which, upon manipulation by a player, controls an outcome of the representation to determine an amount awarded to the player.
The representation may be a representation of a win meter. The representation may be in the standard form of serially incrementing digits. Instead, or in addition, the representation may be a graphical display representing a changing award. In one embodiment of the invention, the representation may be in the form of a mercury-type thermometer where a representation of an increasing mercury column represents an increasing prize. In another embodiment, the graphical representation may represent a skydiver leaping from an aeroplane. Yet a further embodiment may relate to a share purchase game.
In this specification, by xe2x80x9cgraphical displayxe2x80x9d is meant, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, an animation of an object or event having a characteristic which changes or an animation of a being carrying out an activity. Further, the term xe2x80x9camountxe2x80x9d is to be understood, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, as including a zero amount.
The amount represented by the graphical display, by where it is stopped by the player, may be awarded to the player as the prize.
The game control means may select a threshold value such that, when that threshold value is reached by the graphical display without having being stopped by the player, a losing outcome results. In this specification, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the term losing outcome is to be understood as meaning no prize or a consolation prize. Thus, a random number may be selected as the threshold value by the game control means, the random number falling in a predetermined range from one to a highest possible value.
The graphical display may commence changing and the player may be able to stop the graphical display at any time by means of the control device, the arrangement being such that, if the graphical display reaches the threshold value, the losing outcome results but, if the player operates the control device before the threshold value is reached, the player may be awarded the amount represented by the graphical display at the time that the control device is operated.
It is to be noted that the rate at which the graphical display changes may be variable and is set by the game control means. Further, the game control means may be operable to cause the losing outcome to result even if the player operates the control device before the threshold value has been reached.
Should the player stop the representation before the threshold value is reached, the game control means may cause the selected threshold value to be displayed so that the player can ascertain when the losing result would have resulted.
The control device may be an actuator operable by the player to stop changes in the representation.
The feature may be triggered upon the occurrence of a trigger condition arising in a base game. The trigger condition may have an effect on the prizes awarded in the feature. For example, if the trigger condition is the presence of a number of scatter symbols in the base game, the more scatter symbols that are present, the more favourable it may be for the player in the feature game.
The feature may be played as a tournament across a bank of linked gaming machines but may also be applicable to a stand-alone gaming machine.